Montana State quarterback Justin Lamson has a good arm – his accuracy is nearly 75 percent. He has good legs – he’s run for 589 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those abilities aren’t what makes him great in the eyes of his coaches and critics. It’s his ability to be a fiery competitor, while maintaining his poise.
Lamson has run and passed for a touchdown in his last seven games. But it was one play that didn’t result in a score in the 124th Cat-Griz game that stood out among many.
On what would be the final drive of the game, a false start and short run threw the Bobcats out of a second-and-one situation, and almost a certain first down, into a third-and-five and possibly giving the ball back to Montana. Lamson kept the ball after a fake reverse handoff to wide receiver Taco Dowler. The smooth move drew two Montana defenders to his left to create a gaping hole that was filled by UM safety TJ Rausch near the line to gain. The ensuing collision saw Lawson throw his shoulder into Rausch, pushing the defender back enough to allow him to convert the first down.
The Griz never got the ball back in part because of that first down. Instead, Montana State salted away a 31-28 win over the No. 2 Grizzlies in Missoula.
“The steady part, he can be pretty mild-mannered away from competition, but when within competition he’s pretty fiery,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. “At the same time, he plays a position where he’s gotta have a level of control too. Being the guy for 12 games, he’s learned what the means.”
Lamson was given the Big Sky Conference’s Newcomer of the Year Award last week and was also selected to the Big Sky’s second team offense as quarterback. He joins former MSU quarterback Sean Chambers, who won the award in 2022 and is still on the MSU coaching staff. Many thought Lamson deserved Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year after leading Montana State to 10 straight wins and an 8-0 conference record after transferring last off-season from Stanford.
“It’s obviously really cool and Sean was a helluva player, so I’m happy to be in that company with him,” Lamson said. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs. We started 0-2. Things didn’t always go the way you wanted but we just came in and worked every single day. We’ve had a chip on our shoulder every day.
“My confidence in the system has grown a lot. I felt like I didn’t have a great start in fall camp. I wasn’t playing to the best of my ability but everything started clicking and I could tell the guys started believing in me and the guys started making plays for me. I feel I’ve grown but I couldn’t have done it without the guys on the team. They’re a big reason why for all the success.”
Lamson finished the regular season with a 169.0 passer rating, which was just 1.6 points behind UC Davis’s Caden Pinnick for the league lead. Lamson came on strong once the BSC season began as he threw for an amazing 17 touchdowns against no interceptions, something that may never have happened in BSC history. His passer rating was 186.3 in those games, which was tops in league over Pinnick, who was at 180.0 and only one other quarterback finished over 150.0, UM’s Keali’i Ah Yat at 151.8.
Lamson came to MSU after two years shuffling in and out of the Stanford lineup as a starter. He lost the job and was then used as primarily a run-only quarterback in short yardage situations, a routine that Vigen considers limiting for the position. While at Stanford Lamson he was able to get off just 135 passes and complete 62. He ran for 428 yards on 188 carries. Numbers well below his output in just one season at MSU.
“When you’re a guy playing here and there, or maybe you’re a situational quarterback, you’re wearing that fire on your sleeve and the sideline maybe wasn’t all that significant,” Vigen said. “When you have to go back to a huddle or back to a sideline, you gotta restore calm and all those things. He’s learned how important that is and that’s where within any one of these games, he’s been able to, let’s say, catch his breath over and over again. That’s been important because I know our offense feeds off both his intensity and his focus and how intent he is.
“Those are two different things within the course of a contest. So, a lot of credit goes to Justin recognizing his role. A lot of credit goes to coach (Pete) Sterbick for the conversations they can have during the course of the game. I’ve been pleased with how he’s managed his emotions both being on fire at times but also being able to calm the waters.”
Lamson started the season with a tough debut at quarterback against the University of Oregon in Autzen Stadium. He put his accurate arm on display that day as he hit numerous short-range passes and finished 23 for 31 with no interceptions and 198 yards. He would have just one game all season where he completed less than 63.3% of his passes and he finished the year at 72.4%. That game came against UC Davis where he completed just 10 of 18 passes (55.6%), but he bounced back with his best showing of the season in terms of completion percentage the next week against Montana when he was 18 for 20 (90.0%).
He’s also making strides as a runner.
In his first six games he had just 214 yards on 61 carries (3.5 yards per carry) with four touchdowns; in his last six games he has 375 yards on 72 carries (5.2 ypc) with seven touchdowns. Against the three toughest FCS opponents – SDSU, UC Davis and UM – on MSU’s schedule Lamson has had his three best rushing performances. He ran for 96 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown against the Jackrabbits, 97 yards on 11 carries and touchdown against the Aggies and 80 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown against the Grizzlies.
That production – 194-268-2 for 2,345 yards and 20 touchdowns; 133-589 rushing and 11 touchdowns – along with his playing style and presence has made Lamson one of the most trusted players at MSU. He also has 23 yards on two receptions. He’s just 43 yards short of 3,000 total yards on the season.
“The confidence I have in Justin is at an all-time high and continues to grow,” MSU running back and captain Adam Jones said. “I think how he handles himself is something I admire and him coming in here as a transfer, that’s not an easy thing to do and to step into Tommy Mellott’s shoes makes it a thousand times harder. I know he felt the pressure, and he handled it well. I’m glad he’s had all the success he’s had.”
Jones has been one of Lamson’s favorite targets as he has the third most receptions on the Bobcats with 25, which has been good for 205 yards and a touchdown.
Lamson’s career was hamstrung by Covid-19, which all but eliminated his senior year of high school. He would lead Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, Calif. to a 10-3 record his junior year with an impressive 207 completions in 312 attempts for 3,114 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also ran for 452 yards and five touchdowns.
Still, he had built enough capital at Oak Ridge to catch the eye of Syracuse, which competes in the Power-4 Atlantic Coast Conference. After a promising start, that stint was short-circuited by an injury and he would transfer to another ACC school in Stanford. He was on his way to Bowling Green prior to the 2025 season only to see the head coach leave the school. So Lamson got in touch with Vigen, who recruited him when Vigen was the offensive coordinator at Wyoming. The move has been a good one for him and the Bobcats.
“The best decision I ever made was to come to Montana State,” Lamson told Scripps Sports after the Cat-Griz game. “I’m so happy to be part of this team.”
The feeling is mutual throughout the team as Lamson’s play has been considerable all season.
“We’ve all been so impressed with him, and we all knew the guy he was going to be all through fall camp and getting to grow with him,” Jones said. “We knew that he could do it. Him going out each and every week and proving it to the rest of the country is something we all take pride in. We love that dude. He’s super competitive and when he’s at the quarterback spot we’re always going to have a chance.”
The Bobcat are preparing for their upcoming second round playoff game against Yale, which will be played at noon at Bobcat Stadium. Yale defeated Youngstown State 43-42, scoring 29 unanswered points in the final quarter-and-a-half.
